Rebirth
by annesthetique
Summary: He can feel it. He'll be reincarnated soon. She, too, will inhabit another body, in another world, and probably fall in love with another. But no matter how many lives he'll live through, he is still Uchiha Sasuke. And in the end, he'll always find her. / 30-day OTP writing challenge. Anthology of sorts.
1. Breathe

For the 30-day OTP challenge. Here's an anthology of SasuSaku goodness; each one-shot is somehow related to the other. Enjoy!

Prompt; day 1: Breathe

**Standard disclaimer applied.**

* * *

"_Ne, Sasuke-kun!"_

"…_Hn?"_

"_You're so uptight all the time; breathe a little!"_

"_Sakura."_

_She blushes; he called her name._

"_Hai?"_

"_Stop being so annoying."_

He's always been an insomniac. He hasn't slept properly in over a decade, the result of being traumatized by the infamous Uchiha massacre. And in those sleepless nights he'd muse over memories that he wouldn't dare say out loud that he missed. He drowns in leaves and ramen and training and, the most curious case, cherry blossoms. Even now, the colors are vivid even if he closes his eyes in hopes of slumber, and he's not sure whether it's because he's clinging to the thought of her or the colors of her features are just so bright.

And, like any other, tonight was one of those nights that he stayed up thinking. About her, of all people. A lot of people have scoffed at his pride and her understanding, but she's Sakura and he's Sasuke; he denies with his supersized pride, and she will always love him.

Always is quite the controversial word, though. Because tonight just might be his last if he does not win the bargain.

For tomorrow, they will take her away from him.

* * *

White walls, white ceilings, white _everything. _It was frustrating her; she's been walking for Kami-sama knows how long, yet her effort was getting her nowhere in this labyrinth.

She couldn't help but wonder how the light in her eyes contrasted to the purpose of it. This place was her picket fence, a place where she's supposed to be happy behind it. But how could she be happy?

They were keeping her from him.

_But he's the only one that could make me happy._

She never gave up though. Not when he left her for his revenge, not when he came back home and her advances still hadn't affected him. That did not deter her from loving him despite the difficulty in expressing her affections. She knew, somewhere in that perfect façade there is a crack.

And this maze is no exception. She'll find her escape, back to him.

_Sasuke-kun… Wait for me, will you?_

So her bare feet padded along the ivory floors, running forward, never ceasing. The place threatens to blind her as she speeds past the identical corridors. She turns a corner, and another. She faces a dead end but she turns around and tries again.

Because without her, what would he be? What would he feel?

She was his light, but right now she's trapped in it while he wallows in his own darkness.

Someone has to save him.

And for a long time, she walks, she runs, she tries to find the exit. She couldn't tell for how long she's been here, but she couldn't wait to get out.

And at last, there it is. A lone white door at the end of the hallway.

She pries it open to her freedom.

* * *

He wakes up, unknowing of how he fell asleep. He can't thank whatever fact it was, because today, of all days, he cannot waste time.

Today, every second he wastes in his house, his personal hellhole, was a waste of the time he should be spending with her.

So he goes, to where he thinks she is. He could only go by instinct; he does not know where they took her.

From his spot, in a birds-eye view, he is merely an ant among the millions. In the clocktower by the moon, a man, _the _man watches with eyes so sinister, detached yet amply just to the people he governs.

Sasuke senses it, and the man's presence beckons him.

_Anything for her._

And so he goes again.

_Anything to find her._

He slams open the door of the last room at the top of the tower ("_How cliché and overly dramatic." _He snorts.) and does not beat around the bush.

"Where did you take Sakura?" Raw need mixed with underlying anger laced his voice with a deadly venom, a promise of vengeance. And this time, for her.

"Why would you be so concerned as to what happens to her? The cherry blossom does not belong to you."

Oh, how he hated the man. His honesty pierces Sasuke's soul with shards of the truth; _she does not belong to him. _But still, he's Sasuke. And he clings to whatever's left of his pride, the rest gone with his desperation to feel her again.

"But she does not belong to you either." He counters.

He hopes his impatience wasn't evident, that his desire for her is not on his face.

"I am God, Sasuke." Aloof, detached. And condescending.

"You are—were, one of us." Calm and controlled. Emotions at bay, as what the clan has always been taught to portray.

"It does not matter what I was; I am God now."

"You will _never _be mine—"

And as always, she has the ability to stop the burst of ire in him.

"Sasuke-kun!" She shouts salvation in his ears, her voice almost seeming foreign to him. How long has it been since she was taken?

_Not from me. She does not belong to me._

And though the Uchihas don't hope, Sasuke would break the tradition now.

In a breathtaking view of cascading rose-colored hair and jade eyes, her porcelain skin is flushed as she rushes past the doorway. She was fixated on him, seemingly as affected by his presence as he was to hers, and the brightness in those spring spheres of hers were back again at the sight of him.

But in a flash they showed ire at her captor.

He's always loved how expressive she is.

"_You—_"She started. Her finger points shakily at the man of the clocktower. Hatred blurred her vision.

In a very out of place thought, a brief sentence brushes past the recesses of his mind.

_Bitterness never suited her._

A sick voice added, _You let her experience it first in your own will._

She could almost taste the blood from her lips that she's been biting so hard. What good would her anger do to the situation?

The genjutsu had won over the world. He was the god here.

_Perhaps, in another world, we'll be together._

Sasuke's eyes threatened to turn crimson, but seeing Sakura's trembling figure, they softened at the sight. He turns to her then.

"Sakura. Let's leave."

"But Sasuke-kun he—"

"We can't do anything. _For now._"

_Is that a promise, Sasuke-kun? _Sakura hopes.

As the two shift towards the direction of the hall in which they both burst through, the man in the clocktower finally breaks his statue-like demeanor.

White marbled floors shift to his mental command, creating a hole on the ground. Afloat in the air amidst them three was an hourglass of their fate. It glowed white, intensifying as Sakura was forcefully pulled towards it.

Since the massacre, since his curse seal, this was the third time he loses his sanity.

_He's about to lose her._

"Sakura!" He screams his need for her, uncaring of the family image that's been drilled to him since his childhood.

In a moment of mutual feelings running through both of them, the rosette reaches out to him, her small hand trying to grasp his own.

And he almost touched her, before they were lost in the light.

"You will never be together."

* * *

_Where..?_

_Sakura?_

There is no answer, and he lets go of the breath that he is holding.

_Even if it's just a little…_

"_Sasuke-k—"_

Her voice always gets cut off, and he turns to the direction of his hope.

"_Breathe a little, would you?" _

She laughs at the end of her own request, and it sounded like redemption, like heaven to him.

And so he adheres to her wish.

An intake of breath.

_And the light leads them both to their new beginning._

* * *

Reviews are highly appreciated.


	2. Nomad

**A/N: **Hello! The previous chapter was actually inspired a _bit _by Tsubasa Chronicles. I don't expect the readers to understand the story fully in one read, but follow the story and hopefully you guys will like it. :)

Day 2: Nomad

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto.

* * *

_.the first world._

He was a vagabond, and he fit the role quite so too. His hair spiked up at its ends with his bangs hanging down his ivory face. His coal spheres stood out from his pale skin, looking so deep like it could see through your soul. His tall and fit figure was cloaked in an attire of black, his cape hinting at the silhouette of his body.

And, as what rogues do, he never really committed to one place.

"Oi. Naruto. Pick up your god damned pace." He growled under his breath, running through the forest. The branches echoed a crunch under his light feet, barely moving against his weight.

"Tch, you bossy bastard! It's not like you're in a hurry to get somewhere!" To his right spoke the fox-like boy, the faint traces of what looked to be whiskers evident on his tan skin.

His companion, the one he calls Naruto, was a vagabond like him as well. And although Uchiha Sasuke never liked commitment, for some reason the blonde always trailed after him. He figured it would be a futile argument to shake the annoying pest off, so he just let it be. He wonders why Naruto sticks around anyways. Maybe to annoy him?

Like right now, with his slow pace.

"Stopbeing a _pussy_ and just keep running, dobe. We'll rest in the next town."

Naruto's pace was actually up to par with the young Uchiha's, but damn pride gets in the way.

Sasuke vaguely heard a grunt of _'fucking bastard' _to his right as he continued sprinting past the trees. The sky was getting darker by the minute, from deep orange to a hot pink shade, and deepening to a purple color.

He was trying to beat the night. The next town was about ten kilometers away, and at this rate, the lack of light would impede them. Honestly, he was as tired as Naruto was, and a soft bed at one of the inns is very, very tempting at the moment.

The truth in Naruto's words rang in his mind. It wasn't really like he was in a hurry to get somewhere. _Home _was foreign to him.

Was it just wanderlust? Maybe he was trying to find a purpose. He's been like this for as long as he can remember.

Memories were vague. Commitment is deceptive.

Every step he took against the soft wood reverberates in his mind, slowly getting louder and louder as he tries to suppress the most vivid memory. The most painful one.

He does not remember when, what, why, but it was just of one word:

Light.

And just then, a scream brought him back to his senses.

"T-TASUKETE KUDASAI!"

A shrill voice resounded in the quickly darkening forest, making his senses tingle with the desperation of the owner.

"Oi, teme! Let's go check that out!" Cerulean eyes fixed on Sasuke's figure. Naruto's body was poised to run to the direction of the sound, his torso crouched in anticipation.

Despite the nagging emotion in his chest, Sasuke pushed it aside and answered coldly.

"Why is she our concern? We have to rest and gain our strength back. Now move out. We have to go."

Naruto's fists clenched inside his snow white cloak as he suppressed the need to punch sense in his companion's face.

"Oi, bastard, I won't just stand here and regret not doing anything to help someone! If you'll do just that then I might as well go do it myself!" The blonde turned on his heel and sped away to the girl's direction.

Sasuke's eyebrows furrowed as he pinched the bridge of his nose with this pointer and thumb. Naruto just had to be a good Samaritan.

With their plans to reach the next town before nightfall already ruined, Sasuke ran after Naruto.

_Tasukete…_

_Sasuke-kun…_

His eyes widened at the thought. It was familiar.

And for someone who's so used to foreign things, strangely he found his home in that sound.

There, in a small clearing, the damsel stood. The collar of her kimono was being pulled harshly by two bandits as she struggled weakly against her captors. Her pink hair fell in front of peppermint eyes, strands messily hanging against fearful spheres.

Big, rough, and hairy hands tried to pry the clothing away from her creamy skin, attempting to expose her chest. For some reason, that sight prematurely turned Sasuke's eyes blood red, and his murderous intentions shone in them.

In a flash, his black frame was behind one bandit, grabbing the filthy man by the neck and throwing him to the ground. Naruto didn't waste time either as he kicked the other man in the side, effectively pushing him away from the rosette.

Naruto's victim looked at him and Sasuke cowardly and scampered away to save his own life, leaving his companion behind. The one in Sasuke's hand, however, wasn't so lucky.

The sharingan wielder pressed his thumb threateningly against the perpetrator's jugular, a deathly option to end the man's life.

The man choked in his grasp, trying to take in air, his mouth opening and closing like a fish's.

Hidden in his black cloak, there in Sasuke's neck, three black marks started to spread slowly, creeping on pale skin after skin. The sadism showed on the handsome rogue, his perfect teeth gleaming under his curled lips. The tomoes of his eyes spun wildly in the vermillion pair.

Uchiha Sasuke was the very sight of death.

"T-teme! Let the guy go, he's dying!" Naruto's hesitant voice pleaded to the hell-bent Uchiha.

The neglected girl stood shakily from the ground, fixing her clothing in the process. She took a few steps closer to her saviors, planning to express her gratitude, when the devilish man the blonde called Sasuke turned to face her other savior.

"Wasn't this what you wanted? We saved the girl, and justice is to be served." The deathlust in his crimson spheres were still there, and the pinkette hid instinctively behind the fox-like boy, her cream-toned fingers clutching the white cloak fearfully.

"Sasuke-teme… Let the guy go." As if it were a cry of plea, the bandit underneath Sasuke's grip choked in agreement. His face was turning blue, a sign of impending fatality.

Sasuke merely smirked in a sinister manner, a promise of pain glimmering in his eyes. If he pressed even further, the man's windpipe would be crushed.

_Death. Pain. All mine to give._

Dark thoughts stopped at another hesitant cry.

"A-ano… Please stop it…" Uncertainly, she stepped out from behind Naruto and approached Sasuke. Her hands rose from her sides and daringly gripped the offending hand of the young Uchiha, gently tugging it to ensure the safety of the man beneath.

The sight of her was a distraction to him. And instantly, the curse mark crawled back to its original form. The tomoes stopped spinning madly but still the sharingan remained. It analyzed her form—petite, creamy skin hidden under a kimono as deep red as his eyes, her pink hair wildly framed her face but in an endearing way, and her viridian doe-shaped eyes, begging him to stop.

He scowled at the injustice. "What the hell, woman? This man wronged you, you asked for help, and now that it's being given you plead for me to stop? _Fucking hell._" She was far too pure to taint, and the thought of other men touching her tugged his heartstrings uncomfortably.

She flinched at his words and cowered for a second, but she would not back down. She didn't believe that death was the answer.

She grasped his hand in hers once more, and Sasuke was transfixed, like she was pulling him in her allure. The bandit was bought time and immediately wasted none of it; he scurried off to his own safety.

Blue eyes softened at the sight. It wasn't every day that the bastard let his guard down.

Sasuke growled as he watched his prey leave, but did not budge his hand away from hers.

"Arigato… For saving me earlier. My name's Sakura. Please, come with me and have some rest at my house. I'm sure you must be tired. It's the least I can do to repay your kindness." She said gently, clutching his hands tighter.

Sasuke grunted in reply, thinking that it was in favor of their situation. Naruto jumped for joy, pumping his fist in the air. "Yosh! Arigato, Sakura-chan! Sasuke-teme here was having a bitch fit 'cause he wanted to reach the next town so badly. But thanks to you, we wouldn't have to pay for the inn, 'ttebayo!" He grinned heartily after exclaiming.

Sakura gently smiled at both of them and led the pair to her house.

All the while, Sasuke could only think of how right her touch felt to him.

* * *

Ever since his stay in Sakura's house, Sasuke felt like he was…out of track. He never intended to stay in the town anyways. He would be up and about, he would run and just explore the world, never settling down to permanence. So then why is he still here, after one week?

Naruto had already settled like he'd been here all his life. _Tch, the stupid dobe._ He acted like there was nothing suspicious about this girl. Sure, she looked so damn innocent, and she was kind enough to actually _persuade them _to stay in her house for a while with her promises of soft beds and clean sheets and proper food to eat (trust me, Naruto's ramen diet is taking a toll on him), but that doesn't mean Sasuke trusted her.

Or did he?

He was so used to rejecting any offers of warmth that he'd forgotten the feeling of being taken care of.

Every morning he'd wake up to that same gentle smile, coaxing him to accept the breakfast that she's made for him. After his rejection to honey and pancakes, and his vague interest in the tomatoes planted in the backyard, she brought him freshly cut tomatoes every morning with a glass of water.

It was strange, yet familiar.

Sasuke has always been so sure of his feelings, so then what is this confusion he couldn't shake off?

He made up his mind. He'd drag Naruto's ass out of this house before Sakura made them feel like home. Little did he know that it was too late.

"Naruto. Get up, we're leaving." Sasuke said monotonously, throwing the covers from the fox-borne harshly. The addressed blonde just groaned and turned on his side, and murmured _Five more minuteees._

"You idiot. Don't make me repeat what I said."

"But it's not even morning yet, you moody basta—"

"That's the point; we're leaving before _she _wakes up." He refused to find familiarity in this house, and especially in her name.

Naruto got up instantly, an out of character action, Sasuke mused. But then again Naruto has always been one for surprises.

He looked at Sasuke, trying to analyze what the Uchiha was trying to say.

"Ano, Sasuke-teme, I know that you're a nomad and all, but don't you think that we can settle here? I mean, the town is really nice and they've all accommodated us really well, thanks to Sakura-chan." He tried to reason with Sasuke, hoping he'd agree.

"Some loyalty you have. You didn't complain when we left other towns either. We've been doing this for years, dobe." Sasuke countered, his deep monotonous voice speaking volumes of his emotions. Naruto recognized that detached tone; it was that of distrust.

"Stop talking to me about loyalty when you go _town-hopping_ and couldn't even call anywhere a home. Is it bad to feel home here?" Groggy from being woken up in this ungodly hour, Naruto grasped the sheets and fell back to the haven of his bed, pulling the white blanket to his chin.

He knew Sasuke was about to leave at that moment, but he did nothing to stop it.

Silence. Sasuke didn't bother to answer. The truth cut him deep, but he refused to accept it.

His feet padded quietly against the wooden floors as they shifted to the direction of the exit. The warm breeze of the wind caressed the windows, and the faint smell of apple cinnamon candles lit hours ago hung in the air. It smelled like home.

The house, no matter how much he denied it, was something he already got used to. White curtains draped against the brown wooden walls, its lace designs giving the atmosphere a demure look. The kitchen bustled with life of Sakura's movements in the morning, and it seemed so domestic with the three of them living in her household, despite the short time frame. The sunlight was welcome to pass through the glass windows, softly bathing the rooms with its natural glow.

And it felt so warm. He relished the feel of it, but he was Sasuke.

He does not have a home.

So his silent steps continued to the door, and he paused just for a fraction of a second, hesitating as Naruto's words echoed in his head again. But he denied the seed of doubt in his mind and shook the hesitant thoughts away; his resolve was firm.

He opened the door gently, careful not to sound the wind chime, and stepped out into the night.

For some reason, he didn't run like he'd usually do from a place. This time, he walked, strolled even. He looked calm with the moonlight accentuating his lithe black body. Was he anticipating something? Did he expect her to come?

He did not know the answer, but he knew she was there as he turned around.

"You were following me." He stated plainly, not even surprise in his voice.

"You were leaving… So I…" Her angelic voice trailed off as she bit her rosy lips. He always seemed to want to get away from her. Did she annoy him that much in this past week?

"Don't stop me." He turned to leave again before her presence distracted him. It wasn't fair for him. It wasn't fair that she looked like _that, _like home and warmth and everything he's been wanting yet denying all his life.

"S-Sasuke-kun!"

His name. Her voice. They mixed so perfectly, it was a mix of _salvation and sin _to him.

So, so unfair.

In an instant he appeared before her, sharingan activated. There was no threat, at least no danger. But she was to him. Intoxicating, with her just being there. It activated to burn her features in his memory so that it would be vivid, so that at least in his mind there would be a home.

His pale hand reached to snake behind her neck, and pulled her closer to his body. She and her pale green eyes that looked darker in the night, her red lips that she always sunk into, effectively tempting him all the fucking time.

He put his lips beside her ear, and he could hear her breath hitch. The blood rushed up her neck and to her cheeks. He could feel it, the warmth in his hand on her skin.

Slow, seductive, and sinister, he asked her, "Is this what you want? For me to be here?"

She couldn't think straight, not when he's around. Not when he's this close.

Her hands rested on his chest as he towered over her. Resistance was futile to the powerful figure above her, not like she wanted to.

"H-Hai."

There she goes again.

_Don't hesitate. Tell me you want me here._

"…Why?" He drawled, slight befuddlement in his tone. The strands of her carnation hair tickled his nose, and he could smell strawberries in them.

_Home._

With a newfound determination, she voiced out her emotions. Did he mistrust her that much?

"Because… I want you to stay. Isn't that enough?" She didn't dare say that she loved him; it might drive him away even further. At the back of her mind, she wanted to say it.

He wanted her to say it too.

And he gets this inkling feeling that this has happened before. That he was about to leave and she comes running after him.

She would always chase him.

_Wh-what… _

Déjà vu.

A vague memory. Where did that come from?

He gripped her neck tighter, but gentle enough as not to hurt her. She clutched the front of his shirt, wanting to pull him closer.

His head rested on the crook of her neck now, and the smell of strawberries was stronger than ever. In the perplexity of his emotions, he found himself in that position.

_So unfair…_

He raised his head, and for a moment their eyes were lost in a gripping lock of unexplainable emotion, but the moment passed and his sharingan still flared, now wanting to memorize the feel of her lips. But he can't, yet Sasuke hoped that his ability could do it.

Pale thin lips molded against peach full lips, meshing and relishing the feel of a lost emotion.

_It felt so right._

_So why…_

The moon seemingly glared at the pair, its light intensifying and spreading out to the sky.

_Why can't you be with me?_

…_Sasuke-kun. Stay with me._

_Aa._

* * *

Day 2 finished. Whew. Review!


	3. Walls

**Day 3: **Walls

**A/N: **Inspiration from the novel Delirium.

**Disclaimer: **I neither own Naruto nor Delirium. This story, though, is mine.

* * *

_.the second world._

_._

_._

_You're the only person in the world_

_I feel this way about_

.

.

"Get in."

A man wearing navy blue slacks, a light blue polo, and a blue beret ushered a young girl inside a cell. His uniform and the baton that he was holding in his right hand indicated that he was an underling of the authorities around here; a mere worker bee.

She stepped inside the dark room reluctantly. She turned around to plead but was met with a shut door to her face. Pale shaky hands traced the rusted bolts of the metal door as she slowly slid down to her demise. It was cold inside, and the dripping of water could be faintly heard echoing in the soundless cell.

A sinner.

A defect.

A lover.

That was why she was here.

For the rest of the night, her sobs filled the silence. If anyone did hear her, no one cared.

She was one of the few survivors who have not been issued the procedure. Survivor might be too much of a word, but the rest of the population might as well be zombies without emotion. A decree has been made years ago that scientists have found a cure that could reduce the impediments of human labor, which is to remove people's emotions.

She was taken away just today when the roamers, the guards that patrol the streets, found her. She should have been cleared, as she's reached past the age of the procedure, yet they saw through her pretense and took her in for interrogation.

She was flawed. She never had the procedure.

Without defense against the law, she was put to prison.

_Emotion is a weakness._

Was it so bad to _feel?_

Now everybody walked with empty eyes and lethargic movements. They still go through the motions of daily life, but it seems like a lifeless routine to her. They were dead. And she wished she was dead, but not like them.

Anything to get away from here.

The tears have slowed down from their torrent streaming, and her peridot eyes were swollen from her crying.

Her thin fingers raked the metal that kept her locked inside, futilely trying to escape or at least damage the thing, but it was of no use. She was surrounded by damp cement, and a very small barred window. There was no one and nothing for company but her misery.

As she realized that she would be spending the rest of her life in this prison, fresh tears fell from her eyes, and hiccups reverberated again, the sound bouncing on the walls.

"Oi. Could you shut your mouth? I'm trying to sleep."

A deep baritone voice interrupted her despair, and she turned to the direction of the voice. There, on the wall, was a crack the size of an average human hand. She could barely see the room next to hers as her eyes had yet to adjust to the darkness, but with the help of the moonlight seeping in through the high window, she saw _him._

__And there he was. So devilishly beautiful he looked like sin. Skin as pale as hers, dark lashes that framed dark eyes, and his hair that, she mused, seemed to defy gravity. His brows were perfectly arched, and his lips were pursed to a thin line. He looked so perfectly calm, yet his voice depicted that of annoyance. If he weren't locked up in this cell, she would've wondered if he had the procedure too.

"G-Gomen nasai..." She apologized to the other convict, bowing her pink head to the man. Her selfless nature scolded her for being inconsiderate to her other inmates. It was past midnight and she was the only one ushered in at this time of night.

"Hn. No use apologizing now; I'm already awake." He countered coldly. She flinched under his calculating stare. It felt like his coal spheres were boring into her soul the longer he stared at her through the hole.

With no one to talk to, she figured he would be her best bet to not losing her sanity. But did she dare talk to him? He looked...too intimidating, despite his attire of the regular gray pants and shirt that the prison issued. So she sat in silence, still facing him, while twiddling with her fingers.

After what seemed like an eternity, he sighed and decided to speak up. This girl seemed hopeless enough.

"...What is your offense?" He inquired, his tone sounding bored yet his eyes portrayed interest. It was not common for a girl to be put in prison; as far as he knew, the women in the population were among the first to have the procedure. He waited for her answer as she looked up, green eyes sparkling at the chance of a conversation. He took in her features slowly. In the moonlight, her rose-colored hair looked the shade of peaches, with a hint of lavender. Her eyes were swollen from her crying, yet after he asked her a question, the once dull orbs brightened to life.

"A-Ano... I was caught by by the police on duty tonight... It was past curfew and I was rushing home, that they asked for identification. It didn't get cleared by the machine because I didn't have the procedure.. I didn't want to. They said I was breaking the law because I'm three years past the legal age and I haven't had it yet..." She shyly answered him back.

"Hn. Rebellious now, are we?" He smirked at her discomfort as he saw a blush slowly creep up to her porcelain cheeks.

"A-Ah! Iie.. I was merely fulfilling the wish my mother had for me... Before she handed herself over to the _authorities..._" She explained. He noticed the hatred she put into the last word, and he wondered aloud that it didn't suit her.

"Excuse me?" The girl inquired. She was the very epitome of spring to him, he thought to himself.

"I said, it doesn't suit you. Bitterness." He stated plainly. It wasn't even a compliment; he never compliments anyone.

"A.. Arigato?" She tilted her head to the side, not quite sure how to react to his statement.

"Aa." He grunted. He turned his head to the side, looking like he's lost interest in her, and was about to sleep when a voice cut through the crack.

"M-Mister!" She exclaimed. _I hope I didn't make him mad..._

"Do you always stutter this much? _Tch, annoying._" He muttered the last part under his breath before he said, "What is it, girl?"

"Ah.. H-Hai.. It's just that I don't know you, so..." She scratched the back of her head. She was just trying to make conversation, and it seemed like this man was a poor target to talk to. "What's your name?" She finally asked him, looking up through her mauve lashes curiously.

"..." It seemed to her that he was pondering on telling her his name or not. "Sasuke." He finally replied after a few seconds. He turned towards her again and stared at her blankly. She blinked at him, wondering if there was something on her face all of a sudden, when it clicked. "A-ah! Mine's Sakura. N-Nice to meet you!"

"Hn." With the last word said, he turned to his side and closed his eyes, trying to catch up on his disturbed sleep.

Sakura gulped and congratulated herself for being brave in her conversation with the stranger-no, _Sasuke. _She smiled happily; at least she had someone to talk to here. She'd make a friend out of him.

And the name felt right on her lips.

Sleep finally overcame her, and before her eyelids drooped to a close, a final thought crept in her mind.

_Oyasumi nasai, Sasuke-kun._

* * *

A few days passed since their first encounter, and everyday she seemed to be more talkative than before. She'd ask him about menial things, and he'd reply with a grunt when he finds her annoying (which was a lot, she thought), and answer in one-worded sentences when he wants the questioning to be over with. Ocassionally, he'd ask her questions too. Most of the time, though, it was just her doing the talking. But today, she decided to get to know him a little better.

"Why are you here, Sasuke-kun?" She asked him with the same pair of bright green eyes that always glimmered with curiosity with every question he'd ask him. He could never refuse answering her, despite her being a nuisance sometimes.

He tensed immediately as her question settled in, and in that short moment he was forced to relive the memories he had of _that night._ She approached the crack worriedly, even extending her hand out to him in concern, but she knew she cannot reach him. He looked even paler than most days, and his black eyes were slightly dilated, like he was in shock. A bit of sweat trickled down his chin, and his hands were shaking.

"S-Sasuke-kun? Are you alright?" She pried gently, anxiety dousing her words.

His head was bowed now, and shadows covered up his face so that she couldn't read it. Pain gripped her heart as she saw him convulse visibly. In anger, perhaps? Maybe it's trauma triggered from a memory.

"It's none of your fucking business." He said in a low voice as he looked at her. In the dimming rays of sunlight, his eyes looked like they were crimson, and the darkness that his bangs cast against his eyes made it a mixture of black and red orbs.

She thought him to be intimidating, but never was she afraid of him, until now.

As she looked at him, she slowly cowered to the farthest corner of the room, away from him. She wanted to look away, but his eyes put her under a spell that she couldn't look away.

When she finally gathered her senses, she looked down apologetically and said, "I'm sorry... I'll never ask again." She turned away from him and closed her eyes, trying to sleep even though it was only late afternoon. She had to find an excuse not to look at him, not to speak to him. It wasn't like she was obligated to, but she thought friends had a commitment of sorts, right? Or perhaps it was just a one-sided friendship to him.

A lone tear slid down her face, and neither of them spoke for the rest of the night.

* * *

It has been one full week since she hasn't spoken to him. One week, eight hours, thirty-two minutes and nine seconds to be exact. And counting. Heck, he didn't even know why he was counting.

But it irked him to no end that she wouldn't face him. He'd come to know that heart-shaped face of hers by the length of her stay, and he'd become familiar with the sight of her. She's always been on the giving end, and he would merely grunt at her in response because that's who he is.

Sometimes he'd catch her looking through the crack and he'd open his mouth to say something, but she'd quickly look away, but not before giving him that familiar look he's been used to the whole week.

Fear.

And like bitterness, it didn't suit her. Especially if he was the one she feared.

He tried his best to strike up a topic, any topic, but he was Uchiha Sasuke. His tongue might as well be cut off for its lack of use.

...

_Uchiha._

How he detested the name now.

He didn't even know why he trusted her; she might as well be a stranger to him. Or...a _friend, _perhaps? He never had any. She's the closest to one he'll ever have.

He didn't like reliving his past, but he didn't like being feared either.

_Sakura._

_H-Hai, Sasuke-kun?_

_It doesn't suit you._

__It didn't suit her.

"I...killed someone." He finally spoke up after a long week of solitude and silence. She jumped a little at the sound, surprised that he, among the two of them, was the one to initiate a conversation. She still had that look in her viridian eyes, but seeing the slight guilt on his face made the pair soften. "Wh-Who?"

Ah, so she was back to stuttering basis again. Good going, _Uchiha._

"My brother." He spoke nonchalantly, like it was nothing of importance. A flash of terror again in her green orbs, and she backed up against the wall instinctively at his confession. His words triggered that same panic in her the day he looked like the devil. He looked away, not wanting to scare her even further.

He seemed reluctant with his words. And Sakura could see pain in his eyes, like he was uncomfortable with her acting like that. She slowly approached him in penance, getting closer to him again to inquire about the whole story.

"...Why?" She asked after a few more seconds of contemplation. He wasn't so bad after all. Maybe she just crossed the line that day? She hid a small smile from him as she looked at him, anticipating his reply.

He finally glanced her way then, wondering if she'd flinch under his gaze again. But she didn't waver, not this time.

"He forced the procedure on my family. He was one of the assistants of the lead scientists, and he was ordered by the authority to do so. My father and mother were planning an uprising against the government, when _Itachi... _He ruined everything. He fucking turned them into one of those _things."_ He told her as he tried to contain his rage. He must not lose control, not with her around.

She reached out to the crack on the wall, her fingers skimming the hard edges of the cement. She meant for it to be a sign of affection, of concern. If only she could embrace him, then she could let him know how much she wants to comfort him. But this was the best she could do.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke-kun... And also for the other day... I must have triggered something unhappy, and I shouldn't have done that... Gomen ne!" She turned her gaze back down to the floor, her pink brows furrowed in apology. Tears threatened to spill from her eyes, a product of her compassion.

"...Hn. It's nothing, Sakura." And like how he'd always end their talks, he turns his head away from her. Too bad he missed the thankful smile she gave his way.

* * *

Months had passed since then. They talk more amiably than before. Ever since he opened up to her, she's been more cheery and talkative with him. He doesn't seem to grunt as much anymore, and that was good progress to her. His eyes have been softening up to her sight more and more, and as the days passed in those months, she wondered why she was scared of him in the first place.

To him, her smiles were a breath of fresh air, and everyday he finds that he could breathe a little more each day, what with the walls closing in on them.

_She was his piece of heaven._

But one day they opened her metal door.

One of the blue guards came and grabbed her by the arm, and at that moment all he saw was red. And she looked at him, fear once again in her eyes, but this name not because of him, but because she was being taken away from him.

"S-Sasuke-kun!" She screamed as she struggled, trying not to be dragged out of the cell.

"Resistance is futile. You will have the procedure." The guard said emotionlessly.

"N-No! I refuse to be one of you heartless zombies!" He watched her scream, and his eyes narrowed at the blank-faced guard that dared take her away. He clawed through the crack, trying to do anything, _anything _that could possibly help her. He's injuring his palms and the tips of his fingers trying to get to her, he's banging against the cement.

He'll do anything for her.

But as he watched her helplessly be dragged outside her cell, she murmured the words that would make and break him.

_Sasuke-kun..._

_I love you._

Pink and green. Those eyes that feared him, smiled at him, and now proclaimed her affection.

Then red.

It was all he saw before he lost all sanity.

.

.

_"In all these worlds, I will make you feel pain."_

**A memory. A transmission-**

Laughter. _"Sasuke-kun! I love you so, so much!"_

_Why..._

_St-_

_"I-.. lo-e, s-..uch!"_

_Just stop trying to take her away from me._

* * *

Day 3 end. Please review!


	4. Zombie

**A/N: **This will be a continuation of Day 3: Walls. Song inspiration of this chapter is Blue Skies by Strays Don't Sleep. Enjoy!

**Day 4: **Zombie.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto.

* * *

_It's been a long year since we last spoke_

_How's your halo?_

_Just between you and I_

_You and me and the satellites_

_._

_._

You don't understand the meaning of pain. _True _pain. I… I couldn't stand it. Especially now that I'm alone, and she's gone. I killed my own brother, too. Can you understand that?

No. Of course you don't.

I feel like I am the only one alive. And I need my escape. I need to get out of here. I need to find her.

Slowly, I'm getting delirious of all these thoughts speeding in my brain quickly—images of my family, the forced procedure, the blood on my hands as I lethally injected Itachi with his own cure at a fatal pressure point—then in all my hellish nightmare there she is.

She's far too pure to be in this place. She's the epitome of her namesake—

_Sakura._

And in all my imperfections, she had…

She had told me she loves me.

I couldn't suppress the sardonic laugh that wanted to arise from my throat; it was ironic. I am her darkness, with my dark past and my sinister smirks. I still couldn't shake the uncomfortable feeling that day that she got scared of me, how she trembled under my gaze and cowered back against the wall. As much as I hate to relive it, it was one of the most vivid memories that I have of her, and these memories kept me going.

Her name kept echoing in my mind as I kept punching, kicking, scratching against the crack, hoping the hole would get bigger. I had to beat the spreading fault in my chest as well; the pain of not having her here, with me.

My eyes hurt. With every blink, it felt like they were bleeding the longer I stared at something. But in that instance of ache, I find my strength boosting, and I do more damage against the wall. I don't stop, not even when blood starts flowing down in a small stream down to the floor, not when the moonlight has passed to the makings of dawn. I did not measure time, but I knew that the longer I stayed here, the more he was running out of it.

I couldn't stop thinking, I couldn't stop the pain. I couldn't stop them from taking her away from me, like when my brother betrayed our own kin.

But isolated in these walls, her name was a prayer on my lips.

I don't know when I broke through, but I had made a crack large enough for me to fit in. Being used to the agony was numbing, and I no longer cared about the physical state of my body.

The metal door was open. What use was it to lock an unused cell?

I had to get out. Sooner or later they would discover that I have escaped.

On instinct, I veered towards the laboratories where they force procedures on the prisoners. Quietly, I crept up the stairs. It was nighttime, and the curfew was being observed. It would be easy enough to sneak past the guards.

The corridor was dark, but for a longtime convict, my eyes were adjusted to the lack of light. I safely got to the next floor, but the laboratories are still one floor up. I walked past the identical metal doors that held prisoners; cell number 506, 507, 508, and so on. It was a long walk, but I finally made it to the stairs.

Despite the blackness of the place, I wasn't afraid at all. In fact, I thought that I was the devil himself. I feared nothing, I feared no one. What else is there for me to lose?

The occupants of the laboratories weren't difficult to identify. The hallway consisted of white rooms with huge glass windows, so I could easily peek in.

Some of the prisoners locked up in the laboratories were awake, and as I passed, they did not scream. They merely stared at me with blank eyes as if they knew something, but they wouldn't tell.

She was awake too.

I stopped in front of her room at the farthest end of the corridor. She didn't look the same. No one ever looked and was the same after the procedure.

Her pale pink locks still reached her waist, but they had lost their shine. Her skin was paler, and she looked thinner. Her gray uniform was too big for her now, and it pains me to see her this way even more than when she was taken from me.

What struck me most, though, were her facial features. Her lips were pursed to a thin line, and they were chapped and looked the shade of wilting roses. Her brows were fixed, not furrowed in her usual curiosity.

And how could I forget? Her eyes.

Dead. Lifeless. Like the others, the pair seemed to stare through you, never _at _you. There was no recognition in them when she saw me.

And here we are, the living and the dead, face to face.

I felt…resigned. All this time, there was always something in between us. But no more, not this time when I've already lost her to them.

I punched the glass wall between us, careful for her not to be hurt in any way. Despite all my movements, she hasn't moved a single inch.

_Remember that night, among those same stars?_

_._

_._

"Sakura." I choked on the last syllable. Only space separated us now, as I climbed up the low wall and into the room with her.

She turned her head to me slowly, still doll-like, the rest of her unmoving. I miss the way her attention piques when I call her, the way her eyes brighten up when I initiate our talks.

She didn't say anything, but just continued to stare at me blankly.

"Do you remember me?" The question was too much for me to bear, as the possibilities to what she would answer were of equal weight. And when she parted her lips to speak, I still hoped a smile would shape them. I held my breath, and then—

"…Who are you..?"

The question was so innocent, yet it felt like sharpened knives to hear. Broken, I stepped closer to her, the glass crunching beneath my shoes, and buried my head in her neck. Her smell was everything I imagined it to be; pure, faintly scented. Like flowers. Like sakura.

I gripped her upper arms with my hands tightly; afraid she was going to disappear from me again. She didn't return my embrace. Her hands lay at her sides, immobile, and in a rush of anger I reached for them, snapping our hands in between our chests as I finally looked up and into her empty jade eyes.

"I'm Sasuke…kun. You call me Sasuke-kun."

"…Sasuke-kun?" Her curiosity was dead, and her tone was monotone. My façade was broken, and my brows were curled haggardly on my forehead now. I grit my teeth, I search my brain for something to say, someone to blame—but what good would it do to me?

_I can't get used to it_

_I'll never get used to it_

_Could I have saved you?_

_Would that have betrayed you?_

A reaction. Pain. Anything, Sakura. Just when I've found something to fight for…

I molded my lips against hers feverishly, expressing all the hatred against the unfairness of it all, my built-up affection for her, and the pain I've felt in everything.

_Come back to me._

I tilted her chin upwards to kiss her more deeply, tasting her own and marking her mine. I grip her by the waist now and crush her to me. And we stayed like that for a long time, but it was me now who was giving and she, receiving.

No response. She stayed still. I pulled away and opened my eyes, and she was still my porcelain doll, though broken. At the corner of her eye, I noticed one teardrop betray the perfection of the cure, but her front wasn't changed.

I noticed the lights opening up outside; I had to hurry. They must've noticed that I was not in my cell, and they're searching for me now. I could hear the scurrying of steps coming closer and closer to where we are.

Sakura still had her eyes on me. I gave her a small sad smile and pecked her chastely on the lips, and then grabbed one of the vials in the room. With it, I injected myself with what I detested, just to be with her.

_I want to burn this film_

_You alone with those pills_

_What you couldn't do I will_

With the last of my consciousness, I murmured in her ear the words she last said to me before she died into her new self.

"_I love you, Sakura."_

And with that, I turned as well.

_For blue, blue skies_

_I forgive you._

The guards found two prisoners standing in one of the labs, the glass shards evidence of the dark-haired man's break-in. According to the law, the perpetrator shall be punished, but as they unlocked the room to arrest him, they saw that he was like them as well.

Dead.

Prisoners 713 and 714 were defects. Both of them were crying.

_Flawed._

And then they were taken away.

_._

_._

_This way, we'll always be together._

* * *

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